CEDO

Memorial Auditorium & Memorial Block

Latest News:  On March 11, 2024, the City Council approved the Memorial Block Pre-Development Agreement.
See the Mayor Weinberger's March 11, 2024 press release here.
Materials from the February 26 and March 11 council meetings are available in the Documents Library.

Memorial Auditorium was a public auditorium and civic center in the heart of downtown Burlington built in 1927 to honor World War I veterans. It was closed in 2016 due to structural safety concerns as a result of many decades of deferred maintenance. Memorial Auditorium sits on the southeast corner of what is known by many as the "Gateway Block" as it serves as the entrance to the City's Designated Downtown for those travelling west on Main Street.

The City has long envisioned redevelopment of this block in previous plans and studies.  This would include the redevelopment, or repurposing, of Memorial Auditorium, and possibly the fire station, along with the transformation of the City's parking lot and the private lots mid-block into a series of mixed-use buildings as articulated in planBTV: Downtown & Waterfront.

The City is currently exploring the feasibility of a public/private partnership that would lead to the redevelopment of the marjority of this block in the Downtown.  To see the latest presentation to City Council, please visit the Document Library.

More information about the History, Prior Redevelopment Studies and other related Documents can be accessed below.

 

History of Memorial Auditorium

Prior Redevelopment Studies

Documents Library

 

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You can also email us at sdunn@burlingtonvt.gov or call us at 802-865-7144